Tag Archives: consumer electronics

HDMI 1.4: Another Disaster Inbound

May 28, 2009   Jason Ward

HDMI CableIt’s not as if HDMI hasn’t already been a complete disaster, what with its inconsistent behavior across consumer devices made within, oh, months of each other and all, but apparently somebody just isn’t happy with the format being as crappy as it already is. No, HDMI 1.4 is now inbound, with not one, nor two, nor three, nay not even four but five new connector types. It’s pretty much a given that, like with its predecessors, HDMI 1.4 will have sporadic compatibility problems with previous and future versions of the same connector and only the very goddamn lucky will actually be able to say that their TV, DVD, Bluray and Receivers tethered together with HDMI actually work right.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: HDMI is the most poorly planned, badly implemented, shitty consumer electronics device connector ever developed. I’ve already seen some folks who plan to wait on their new HDTV purchases for the new connector (I did the same thing years ago and it was a mistake) to hit, but my advice is this: Avoid HDMI at all costs, it is not worth your hassle.

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Why HD adoption is so slow

February 05, 2009   Jason Ward

hdlogo.jpg The High Definition era of television officially began in 1998 in the United States. We first received HD televisions at that time, and HD broadcasts–though few and far between–started showing up. As of February 2009, the adoption of the HD standard in the United States stands at about 35-40%, depending on whose charts you read.

 

Most of that ground has been gained in the last 3 years and can safely be attributed primarily to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, our current crop of HD games consoles. Put simply, 11 years after hitting the market, HD remains a largely niche player with roughly one third of the television market. One HD movie format has already come and gone, the other is struggling against it’s SD (or more properly, ED) forebear, DVD. Why?

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